Indiana Pacers (15-15) at Boston Celtics (15-17)
After a few postponed games, the Pacers got back on the court and fell to the Warriors 111-107 in their latest outing. It was a tight contest for the 4 quarters so the Pacers should be better for it as they take on the struggling Celtics. The key matchups in this contest should be Sabonis against the Celtics undersized front court and Brogdon. Sabonis comes off 22 pts and 16 rebounds against the Warriors. Meanwhile, Brogdon scored 24 pts and Boston have struggled to contain point guards lately.
After 3 straight losses on a 3 game road-trip, the Celtics are in trouble right now and need to find some form on Saturday. Last time out, the Hawks crushed them 127-112 as the Celtics defence couldn't stop Trae Young or Gallinari. But they should get Kemba Walker back from a rest and he'll be important against the Pacers defence.
It's tough to back the Celtics as favourites at the moment so we'll be looking for the Under to salute as the Boston offence continues to struggle. The Under does have a good record when they meet in Boston (7-3) and the Pacers are 4-1 against the Under after a loss.
Stadium Record
Boston is 8-5 at home this season. The Pacers have lost their last 3 at TD Garden.
Head to Head Record
Since 2019, the Celtics have owned the Pacers with an 8-2 record.
Best Bet
Charlotte Hornets (15-16) at Golden State Warriors (18-15)
The Hornets head into this matchup fresh from a great win over the Suns in Phoenix, 124-121. Malik Monk led the scoring off the bench with 29 pts and Hayward/Ball both added 20 pts. For this matchup, they'll be without PG Devonte' Graham once again but Ball has proven he can be a starter for the Hornets in his absence.
Meanwhile, the Warriors will aim for a 3rd straight win after beating the Pacers 11-07 and Knicks 114-106 at the end of their 4 game road-trip. The Warriors have been a strong team at home this season so they should be confident here. This should also be a good matchup for the likes of Curry and Oubre Jr as the Hornets struggle to stop shooters.
There should be a lot of feeling in this matchup after the controversial finish in this meeting just last week after Draymond Green was ejected in the final minutes and Rozier nailed a game winning 2 pt shot as time expired. While we see the Warriors getting revenge this time around, the Under is a nice bet with the Warriors at the moment. The Under is 4-2 in their last 6 home games and they also have a 5-0 Unders in their last 5 against Charlotte.
Stadium Record
The Warriors have won 6 of their last 8 at home. The Hornets hold a 2-4 record on the road against the Warriors.
Head to Head Record
The two sides met recently with the Hornets holding on 102-100. The Hornets have now won the last 3 meetings.
Best Bet
Portland Trail Blazers (18-13) at Los Angeles Lakers (22-11)
After a long winning streak, the Trail Blazers have been disappointing in a 3 game losing streak against the Wizards, Suns and Nuggets. But they won't get a better opportunity to take down the injury hit Lakers. Portland's weak area is their defence against big centres (Jokic 41 pts last time out) so the injury to Anthony Davis will help them to curtail the Lakers offence. The battle between Lillard and James will be something to watch as well.
Obviously, the Lakers can't take a trick at the moment with their injury list and have played a few tough teams during this time. They're coming off 4 straight defeats and were simply outclassed by the #1 seeded Jazz last time out (114-89). The good news is that Dennis Schroder should be back for this one and that'll help the Lakers offence. However, Anthony Davis is still sidelined with injury.
Betting against the Lakers at the moment is a good idea due to their injury problems and the Trail Blazers should be keen to end a 3 game losing streak. They've also beaten the Lakers at this venue this season (115-107). So take the road underdog to cover the line and back them to win for some value.
Stadium Record
The Lakers are 9-7 at home this season. Portland has a very nice 13-3 road record against LA.
Head to Head Record
The Lakers have won 6 of the last 10 meetings but the Trail Blazers won the earlier season meeting 115-107.
Best Bet
